E-Sailing and Olympic Games: Impossible Made Real

Abstract

The confident rapid progress of eSports to world and Olympic recognition gives reasons to consider it a modern cultural and social phenomenon. The lack of consensus among scientists about the place of eSports as a sport causes active debates. However, its increased popularity has turned it into a mass phenomenon of modern society. The use of simulators and virtual reality in sailing, with the support of World Sailing, contributed to the emergence of the Virtual Regatta. Today, Esailing is one of the eSports disciplines selected by the International Olympic Committee for the Olympics Esports Weeks (OEW) and the Olympics Virtual Series (OVS). The eSailing World Championship and eSailing Team World Championship are held annually on an ongoing basis, and in 2024 , the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup with AC Sailing and the first ever AC eSports Championship were added to eSports. With the support of the IOC, it is planned to expand the competition format and hold a 3x3 Team Racing World Championship, and eSailing is planning to become part of the Olympic Games in eSports in Riyadh. We have found that in order to increase the number of participants in Virtual Regatta, famous yachtsmen -champions are involved, new routes are developed and new classes of yachts are ad ded. It has been shown that electronic games, such as "Virtual Regatta", in their variations can be used by gamers, professional athletes and different groups of the population (youth, people with disabilities, sports enthusiasts, etc.), who, having reache d a certain level, can become participants in eSailing in the Olympic Games program.